We Which Are Alive and Remain Shall Be Caught Up Together With Them in the Clouds

  But as touching brotherly love ye need not that I write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another. And indeed ye do it toward all the brethren which are in all Macedonia: but we beseech you, brethren, that ye increase more and more; And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you;

 

That ye may walk honestly toward them that are without, and that ye may have lack of nothing. But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

 

For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

( 1 Thessalonians 4:9-18 kjv)

The First Epistle of Paul to the THESSALONIANS The city of Thessalonica was ideally situated along the Egnatian Way on the western side of Chalcidic peninsula. It was the chief seaport of ancient Macedonia and an important commercial and military center. After Paul and Silas were forced to leave Philippi, they traveled along the Egnatian Way to Thessalonica (Acts 16:39 -17:1) where Paul taught in the synagogue for three sabbaths, They were forced to leave the city when antagonistic Jews, after stirring up the people at Thessalonica, brought some of the believers before the city officials and accused them of promoting treasonous ideas (Acts 17:5 - 0).   The believers there came under great persecution following this uproar. Paul, feeling that he had not had enough time to ground them in Christian doctrine, desired to return to Thessalonica, but was hindered by Satan (1 Thess. 2:17, 18) Consequently, he sent Timothy to complete the work he had begun (1 Thess. 3:1, 2). The Book of 1 Thessalonians was probably written by the Apostle Paul between the years A.D. 50 and 51 when Timothy returned to him in Corinth (Acts 18:5). He brought good news of their steadfastness and zeal in propagating the gospel (1 Thess. 3:6).   Nevertheless, he reported that there were some ethical problems (1 Thess. 3:4 -7) as well as some eschatological misconceptions. The Thessalonian believers were concerned that those believers who had already died would miss Christ's coming. Paul assured them that those who had died would be caught up to meet the Lord just like those who are alive at His coming (1 Thess, 4:13 -18). Despite these problems and the persecution that they had faced, the church at Thessalonica had faithfully spread the gospel (1 Thess. 1:8 kjv). [Source for Introduction of chapter: Hebrew Greek Key Study Bible KJV edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. AMG Publishers, Chattanooga, TN 37422] ..